Post-Chicago!

GUESS WHO'S NOT DEAD? ME! (SIDE NOTE: the pictures from yesterday's post are working! Check those out)) How was the Windy City? Living up to its namesake and cold, but I had a good time. I went with my friend Jeremy, his gf Alicia, and his cousin Brian. We went to see Dallas Green (City & Colour). I know a few songs and like em, but LIVE, he's great. I was right behind Brian and Brian was front row. His elbows were on the stage. In the past year and a half, I've only been going to HUGE shows (Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga) so I miss being able to get THAT close to the artist. That night we went out for pizza and it was DELICIOUS. Then Brian and I ran around the hotel and he started doing barrel rolls and head stands.Second day, we went to Navy Pier and rode the ferris wheel. Here is a really cute picture of Brian and I (like we're dating or something). We were EXTREMELY sarcastic and sassy to each other the whole trip so we got along great.The 3 of them wanted to go to the top of Willis Tower to see that see-through box that hangs off the side, but I was like that box is bunk and I'm not paying $15 to go to the top of that stupid tower. So they went and I didn't. There was a 2 hour wait, I was hungry and alone. I went to a pizza place, sat by myself, looked like a friendless loser, and ate a slice of pizza. I called Rhiannon; I hadn't spoken to her since I left and we were discussing my funeral arrangements then, but this was a 180 (a nice change of pace). After I ate my nomz, I snuck into McDonald's and drew. Here's people walking at the cross walk. It sucked that they only stood there for 30 seconds. The music in the McDonald's was FANTASTIC though! It was very old timey. I was lovin it (get it? cause I was @ McDonald's LOLOL).We headed to Millenium Park to see the Bean and I was like, "YEAH IT'S THIS WAY!" Well, I had us walk in the opposite direction for a mile. WHOOPS! The highlight of my whole trip happened 30 minutes later; I got a strawberries wild from Jamba Juice and all was well in the world! I took my delicious drink to the bean and took a celebratory photo. Here is a photo where we are all freezing and my hair is blowing in the wind. I seriously took 7 pictures in Chicago. There's a good one of Alicia and I, but it's on her camera that I almost broke because I was playing the drums on the table when Buddy Holly by Weezer came on.After the bean, we headed home. I enjoyed my time away from home and it was free and Jeremy loved the painting. Best part? Jeremy got a meet and greet and Dallas signed the painting! He's gonna shoot a photo of it and I'll post it on the blog! That was exciting. When I got home, I went and spent 5 hours at Leo's and hung out with Shelby. I wanna give a shout out and thanks to Jeremy for everything!

A Semi-Fair Trade.

My friend Jeremy asked me if I would paint a picture of one of his fave musical artists, Dallas Green. In exchange, I was offered a free trip to Chicago to see Dallas, hotel, the other things I'd have to pay, and Jamba Juice. When this posts, I will be in Chicago, sleeping. Pre-trip, I am anticipating a miz time because oh Chicago, how I loathe thee, but this is free so how could I turn that down? It was all last minute. I started the painting yesterday and got it finished. I took a picture of it without the flash (first one), with the flash (second one), and close up with the flash (third one). I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I like it because it has a bit of texture to it. I used gouache and acrylic. I'm thinking it's worth it alone for free Jamba Juice. I can get down on Jamba all day and night. Click to enlarge!

The other night, I dreamed that on said trip, I stayed at the Sheraton Hotel and it caught fire and I ended up on the roof with my friends, screaming. I woke up after that. I don't know if I died or not, but I called Jeremy and asked him where we were staying and he told me the Sheraton. Now, he doesn't think this is weird, but I feel like this is Final Destination. If something happens to me, know that I love you all. I left a list of contacts for my mother on my dry erase board (because she thinks it's weird too) and should I die, she will contact those people and they will contact all of my friends. Matt Benyo, you are one of these people and so are you, Rhiannon. Matt Benyo, if I die, make sure you talk to Brother Chan. He will have my final requests/words for you. I'm hoping this doesn't actually happen, but it's better to be prepared. I expect everyone to be at my funeral too. Hopefully I see everyone tomorrow! I HAVE SOME GOOD THINGS TO POST SO I NEED TO LIVE THNX!

Baby Bob.

On Saturday, a surprise party was thrown for my dear, sweet, baby sister, Shelby. Someone ruined the surprise so it was really just a party (I'm still bitter about the entire ordeal), but it was a good time AND it's the thought that counts. I spent way too much time constructing this Bulbasaur (he's her fave) card for her. I used gouache. It's a tiny card. It's also kind of 3D because the Bulbasaur sticks out. My fave part? HIS LITTLE TOE NAILS! I also made the envelope! Click to enlarge!

Born This Day!

Today is Lady Gaga's 25th birthday and for the occasion, I thought I'd post this quote from Born This Way that I cut out and put in my sketchbook. I used GLITTER SPARKLE STICKER PAPER. The scanner doesn't do it much justice. Listen to your favorite Lady Gaga song today and raise your glass. Happy Birthday, Gaga!

OMGz.

Matt Benyo is doing the 30 day photo challenge on his blog.
Go read what today's post is for #17.
Made my heart melt.
:)

E is for Eh, Eh.

I am SO unmotivated. What's WRONG with ME? I pulled out a bag of illustration board I have lodged between my dresser and the wall and there was water all over the back of it and the board had water mold on it. I planned on doing a giant painting on it, but nope. So that is MOST troubling. I did, however, find some old work like this piece. It's New York City. I have a lot to make and do this weekend so next week should yield interesting results. Lady Gaga is debuting The Country Road version of Born This Way at 3 am. There's nothing else I can say.

D is for Dead.

I've been gone for 16 hours. I went to a concert in Akron, Ohio & saw The Dangerous Summer. They just didn't do it for me. I was, of course, the only one not drinking & my friend spilled lots of beer on my shirt so at least if I wasn't doing it, I could smell like I was. I drove home, got dropped off at Shelby's work, & hung out for 3 hours til she got off. I tried to draw, but it didn't happen. My ears are still ringing:I got made fun of this evening for liking the Jonas Brothers and Panic at the Disco (I didn't even bother to bring up Lady Gaga). I cannot stand it when people are pretentious about other people's musical tastes. Are you kidding me? You think what you listen to is BETTER than what I listen to? Grow up. Music is one of the most universal things in this world; everyone likes music. Maybe you don't like what I do or I don't like what you do, but I'm not gonna make fun of you for it. I didn't like The Dangerous Summer, but you don't see me making fun of the people that do. Maybe that's because I can respect people's choices and opinions. #grownupdecisions

C is for Cats.

Of course it's cats. I had to do this just because it'd be ludicrous if I didn't. My two cats are fine by the way. I remembered this page from my sketchbook at CCS. The Crew each drew a cat. I drew the one in the top middle. Makes me miss them.The Hallway Show has made a comeback! For all of you that participate, head over there and get your Tim Allens in by Tuesday!

Panic at the Disco's new album, Vices and Virtues, is OFFICIALLY out and it is AWESOME. Guess who one of the producers is? BUTCH WALKER. Though biased, he had no influence in my decision when I claim it's awesome. I feel as though it's more cohesive than the previous two, but draws influence from both and I'm pleased with their advances. My play count for the album is in the 40s. Just sayin.

B is for Birthdays.

Despite being awake for 35 hours, I managed to successfully surprise Shelby (on the far right with the giant bicep) at her work because at midnight she turned 20! I went with Jenna, Kiki, and Jordan up to Leo's with a cake and 20 candles. At midnight, we busted in, cake lit, and I screamed out, "Alright listen up everybody! We've got ourselves a birthday. Shelby right here is 20 years old! Can everyone please sing with me?" and we not only surprised her and put smiles on everyone's faces, but everyone in Leo's sang! It was amazing! Our wolfpack grew as we hung around (including: Dominick, Domenic, Randy, Tony, and Greg) and it was a great time with friends. I was so excited Domenic (guy in front of me) showed up because I have a soft spot for him in my heart. Shelby enjoyed herself, she got fat tips, and on the way home, Jenna and I jammed Born This Way. Perfect rendezvous.I tried to draw Shelby, but this doesn't look like Shelby. Alison said it's like a better looking version of Shelby. I spent too long on it and didn't feel like doing a different one so it is what it is. Happy Birthday, little sis. I love you so much. FOREVER.I also wanted to give a special Happy Birthday to Nathan's mom, Pat. She's a very nice woman and deserves a nice birthday. I hope it's fantastic for her.

A is for Apples.

My favorite is red delicious. I don't even know if there are green delicious apples, but I think so. I know there are Green Granny Smith's. What's your favorite?My hair is fading nicely and matches my Members Only jacket! I'm wearing a shirt under said jacket though it's obviously not shown. Look at how PALE I am!

WE SO EXCITED!

Rebecca Black has revolutionized what Friday means to us all. Everybody's looking forward to the weekend; all the partyin, partyin (yeah!) and all the fun, fun, fun, fun. Remember that yesterday was Thursday and today is FRIDAY. Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterwards (just in case you forgot). My frans are kickin in the front seat and sittin in the back seat. I gotta make my mind up about which seat I should take EVEN THOUGH if I have 2 friends in the front and back, that would leave one seat in the back, but I'm still making my mind up about it.

If this song is stuck in your head; you have THE BLACK PLAGUE! lolololol

St. Patrick's Vlog.

Most of the family made cameos in this vlog. We recorded 25 videos and Charles KEPT MESSING EM UP! This is ridiculous and beware, there's a lot of yelling. I've been up for 19 hours. Happy St. Patrick's day! ART TOMORROW!

After!

Before.

Russell Brand.

Between hanging with old friends, time traveling (daylight savings), and making new ones (that made me sound a lot cooler than I am), I finished Russell Brand's second autobiography, Booky Wook 2. I am FLOORED by Russell Brand. Reading this book awoke something in me. He does come off as a prat (hello british slang), but he's sensitive, smart (his words are his weapon), incredibly funny, and very human. I was laughing out loud at a few parts in this book. I would recommend both books, but that's a lot of Russell Brand and I'm sure most of the people reading this aren't fans of his like I am. One of the more interesting bits in this book was when he talked about Katy Perry (aka his wife). Did you know she threw a half full bottle at his head during rehearsals for The VMAs and then they had a battle of the wits and insulted each other? It was a fantastic read. Everyone (himself included) claims he's flirtatious and charismatic. Russell Brand, you dashing, charming man, what I wouldn't give to exchange words with you.

Purpose/Party.

I hate to mention Nate again (because he's a brat), but I found this while creeping him and I don't know who said it, but I like it. FIND ME, PURPOSE. I'M READY.

A purpose is not something that you're going to find.
It's something that will find you.
And it will find you only when you're ready and not before.

Here's Rhiannon's photos of us surprising Alex! Shenanigans! Click to enlarge!

Time for a Tea Party!

One day, Nathan and I were discussing how much fun it would be to have a tea party, but then he hoed me on the deal and it has yet to happen. I imagine if I had one, I would wear a fancy outfit and a ridiculous hat like in this drawing. I've never been to one, so I'm not sure what you find AT one; but I assume tea and treats. I was inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Lady Gaga, and American McGee's Alice. However, I didn't use any reference; this is FROM SCRATCH. I used a nib and inked it. I'm having confidence issues with my inking, but I'm hoping that'll change if I keep doing it. What do you think AND have YOU ever been to a tea party?

Robert Ross.

Check out this awesomely bad over-the-top cut out. I bet you didn't know that Bob Ross died on the 4th of July. That's a fact. Another fact is that I FINALLY have Russell Brand's Booky Wook 2 in my possession. I'm so excited to read it.

Surprise Party.

Rhiannon came down and joined forces with Brother Chan and I. The 3 of us went to Alex's school where we prepared to celebrate her birthday, surprise style, in the parking lot. I pulled an all nighter and made this card for her with an inset:So, Rhiannon scooped us, and we went to Alex's school and filled her car with balloons (as exhibited below), I threw a ton of confetti that ended up EVERYWHERE, Chan brought the cake out, and Rhiannon was in charge of photos and party poppers, but I took most of the photos (with her camera). I held Alex as Rhiannon shoved cake in her face. Then Chan and Rhiannon shoved cake in each other's faces. I refused to get any cake smashed in my face, but I willingly shoved my mouth into it. We were all a mess, but it was so great and Alex was super surprised! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! We went back to Alex's, Rhiannon did my hair, and we all went out to Old Chicago. It's always a good time for a Pizza Party with a couple of Kevins. My birthday is next! I'll start talking about that come April 1st (no joke).

Faux Spring Break.

I'm working on something that I can't post until tomorrow. I actually haven't even started working on it yet. I will after this. As my faux spring break winds down, I'm enjoying some Dr. Pepper and the musical stylings of Panic at the Disco. This entry is mostly for memory purposes, but it has some good tidbits in it too.

Why was this faux spring break? Because I'm not in school and therefore not on Spring Break, but my friends were on Spring Break. I spent a lot of time with Matt Benyo for our Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon. I'm noticing a lot of parallels between the show and shows/things that are out now. In one episode, they even said "keep hope alive" which were the EXACT words on my tattoo that was on my arm. There were 2x where extreme twists happened that MB caught before I did, but then I caught them a minute after and screamed in shock. I may or may not have shed a few tears, but I'm pleased with our progress and the time put in. We just finished season 3. I'm going to have withdrawals because I want to watch it already, but unfortunately Matt Benyo has school and work, you know, RESPONSIBILITIES? So, we are working around his schedule. I'm slightly biased about Buffy; not because of MB, but because vampires are my favorite. I get sucked (lololol) into these shows and movies. Nosferatu is one of my all time favorite vampires. Nos would kill Buffy in an instant, but it's interesting to watch a slayer prevail in this series. Plus, the librarian, GILES, is AMAZING. The extended stay at Matt Benyo's concluded with me getting punched in the face in the middle of the night on accident and him getting a head bruise from an undetermined source. Thanks for a great week, MB!

Today, Alex and I went out for dinner at Old Chicago. One of my favorite things is being a regular somewhere. You get the occasional hook up on your bill, you get to know the employees (and vice versa), they know your order, and they treat you like a friend rather than a customer. Tonight was no exception. We sat in Lauren's section, she brought our drinks and put our order in before bringing the drinks. Matt saw us and brought another co-worker, Amy, to sit with us. Amy was super nice! We met the entire staff (thanks to Matt) and it was a good time. We decided we were feeling froggy and got dessert; something we never do. Lauren joined us and talked about the crazy shenanigans of Old Chicago. Good food and good company were in abundance this evening and it was a great way to wrap up a great week.

I stumbled upon 101 Ways to be Happy and #53 said: stay close to friends and family because moving far away from supporters can take a toll on your level of happiness and #56 said: make time for your friends because personal connections are so important and making even a little time to be with people who make you smile will keep you happy. This is all probably obvious, but sometimes we take our friends for granted; as if they'll just always be there. Sometimes we don't take the time to let them know how much they mean to us. I hope I mean as much to my friends as they do to me. Don't leave your friends guessing; tell them how much you love them.

Vampire Lounge.

I gotta give a huge Happy Birthday to Alex! She's 20 today and she's been good to me over the years. It all started because of the Jonas Brothers (they have a way with piecing friendships together). I can't make you a cake (because we know I have trouble with instructions), so this will have to suffice. LUH YOU KEVIN!Matt Benyo and I have been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the series) and I thought it'd be stupid, but it's actually REALLY GOOD. We spent the past 3 days watching it and we're going to start season 3 hopefully this weekend. It seems only fitting I would see this hilarious text on When Parents Text:

Post It: Panic!

This is Brendon Urie (singer of Panic! at the Disco) as inspired by the Nine in the Afternoon video. PatD is a guilty pleasure of mine. I take that back; no shame. Their videos make me excited because I love old circuses, Vaudeville, & the theatrical wonder of olden times. They capture all of it and put a modern spin on it.

Post It: Alison.

This is my first of two Post-It posts. I asked Sister Alison to hang ten while I drew her. I told her she could watch He's Just Not That Into You. While drawing her, I kept saying the lines as the actors said them which prompted her to ask, "Will you please stop quoting the movie?" I didn't even hesitate when I said NO. Suck it, Al.

Face The Facts.

I've been sketch, sketch, sketchin. Here is a Vaudeville man and a sketch of Lady Gaga that I'm feeling blah about. I wanted to do a cool pop art drawing of her, but my sketches of her have felt really contrived lately.Matt Benyo showed me THIS interview awhile ago, but I never watched it because it was 2 hours long, but I finally took the time to watch it and it made me respect Lady Gaga a lot. I also found out she is pretty heavily influenced by Andy Warhol and Andy Warhol is one of my favorite artists and a huge inspiration to me as well.She said a lot of great things. One of those things being "your family teaches you more than anybody." BUT, my favorite thing she said was a quote about right and wrong that involved religion. I don't really like to talk about religion or politics on my blog because I don't want to fight about it, but I like the intent behind this quote:

"There's a balance. You gotta keep a balance. I can't only think about doing what's wrong or right. Doing what's wrong or right, it's SO religious, that is what religion is; what's wrong and right and I think religion is completely bogus. I believe in God and I'm a very religious catholic person, but religion is quite bogus isn't it? Because no religion doesn't hate one kind of person. So, it's very confusing for me. I still struggle with it. I feel that I am a good opinion about what is taught to young people and how we are mind controlled by whatever forces that be to believe or see things in a certain way and I think the most important thing that they need to learn is to love and to be non-prejudiced. That's what I think."